


Lucky Seven

by cordeliadelayne



Category: Primeval
Genre: AU, All the Possibilities, But Nobody Really Stays Dead, Getting Together, M/M, Mentions Of Infidelity, Not Getting Together, References Canon Death, what might have been
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-15 09:21:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8050831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: The anomalies destroy as much as they create.





	Lucky Seven

**Author's Note:**

  * For [deinonychus_1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deinonychus_1/gifts).



> Written for deinonychus_1 who gave the prompt “what might have been”.
> 
> Originally posted to Livejournal in 2009.

**One**

Slumped down next to Cutter’s dead body, Connor knows that he should move. Knows that his lungs are starting to fill up with smoke. Knows that everyone is waiting for him outside. For him to save the day and be the hero. Because there’s no one else left on the team who can do the job.

But for vital seconds he just lays his head down on Cutter’s shoulder and thinks of all the ways today could have turned out differently. Then he sighs, and with strength borne from the adrenaline of the moment, he lifts up Cutter’s body and carries it outside. It’s just a shell now, an empty vessel for what used to be the most inspiring man Connor’s ever met.

It’s everything he never knew he wanted.

**Two**

“Come on, Connor,” Cutter called, hopping around the bedroom as he pulled on his trousers. “We’re going to be late.”

Connor appeared in the doorway, toothbrush in his hand, toothpaste smeared around his lips. “Are you sure we should be turning up at the same time, anyway?”

Cutter looked over at him and smiled. Connor’s trepidation about their relationship was extremely endearing.

“I think it’s about time, don’t you?”

Connor flushed and rubbed the back of his hand against his mouth. “Okay.”

Cutter watched him go, surprised by how much he’d let the younger man in. After Helen he hadn’t thought he’d feel this way about anyone again.

Thank heaven for new starts.

**Three**

“I didn’t know, all right!” Connor yelled. “I didn’t know.”

Cutter turned back to him, unsure what he was most mad at. That Connor had let Caroline think she had a chance with him, or that he’d lied to him.

“I thought we had something, Connor. I really did.”

“I know. And we do,” Connor pleaded. He stepped closer to his lover, tears streaming down his face. “I didn’t mean…” he shrugged. “I’m not used to this. Being in a relationship. It’s all a bit new.” He swallowed around the lump gathering in his throat. “And I know you’re still hurting. Stephen was my friend too. I didn’t expect him to go off with Helen either.”

Cutter slumped down onto the sofa, his legs giving way. Keeping all this anger close to his chest had cost him so much, he had no right to take it out on Connor.

“You’re right, of course. You couldn’t have known that Caroline was working for Helen and Stephen.” He winced as he pronounced his old friend’s name. “You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

“Start over?” Connor asked quietly. He moved closer to Cutter and yelped in surprise as Cutter pulled him close and he landed on Cutter’s lap, Cutter’s arms snaking around him to hold him close.

“Start over.”

**Four**

Connor groaned and flopped to Cutter’s side. “Wow.” He smiled into Cutter’s chest as it rocked with Cutter’s silent laughter. He pressed a kiss to Cutter’s side and was rewarded with a slap to his bum. “Hey!”

“Remind me why we didn’t do this years ago?” Cutter asked, still looking up at the ceiling, feeling as sated as he ever had.

“Little problem with us both being married?” Connor replied with a twinkle in his eye.

“Oh, yes, that.”

Connor scooted up the rest of the bed and laid his head against Cutter’s shoulder. “You realise that we’re still married?”

Cutter turned to look at him and then pulled up Connor’s left hand with his own. Their matching rings twinkled in the morning sunlight.

“I recall.”

**Five**

“I trusted you!” Connor shouted. “How could you do this to me?”

Cutter just sat in the chair, beer bottle attached to his hand. He knew that he had betrayed Connor in the worst possible way. Knew that what he had done was unforgivable. There were no possible words for him to make this right, were there?

“So you’re not going to say anything? How long has it been going on?” He turned to address the man that had just walked in to the room. “How long, Stephen? How long have you been pretending to be my friend?”

“Connor, it’s not like that. It was never like that. The change in the timelines…” Stephen tried to explain.

“Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare blame the anomalies for this! This is you, these were your choices, okay, these were all you.”

He turned around and stormed out before he said anything else he might regret. Cutter wasn’t worth the heartache. None of them were.

**Six**

“What do you think?” Cutter asked. He stepped up to Connor and planted a soft kiss against his neck, making the younger man hum with pleasure.

“I think the Permian looks amazing. Thank you.” He turned around and gave Cutter a hug.

Cutter smiled and returned it, pulling Connor even closer. “I’m glad I could share this with you. For a moment there, I didn’t think you were going to leave.”

Connor shrugged. “There wasn’t really anything back there for me. I was doing research with you instead of concentrating on my thesis. I think the university was getting ready to chuck me out. So when you offered the chance for me to go travelling, go travelling through _time_ , how could I turn that down?”

Cutter smiled in return and moved away to where they had set up their monitoring equipment. “Well I’m glad you’re here.” He pointed at one of the computers. “You think you can get this started? We have some changes to make.”

Connor nodded. “Absolutely.”

**Seven**

“Temple’s my name not…not what I was looking for,” Connor explained, chasing after the professor.

Cutter paused and turned towards him. “Oh, I see. Are you in one of my classes?”

“Yes, yes I am and I was wondering…” he tripped over his feet as he rushed through the door into Cutter’s office.

“Do you need a hand there?” Cutter asked, bemused smile on his face.

“No, no, I’m fine thanks.” He straightened up and pulled his jacket straight. “I noticed that you were advertising for a lab assistant?” He made it sound like a question, even though he had the printout he’d yanked from the department’s noticeboard tucked safely in his pocket.

“Yes,” Cutter said slowly, eyes focusing on Connor for the first time. “It’s odd, I haven’t had any applications yet, and normally I have dozens to choose from.”

Connor tried to look as innocent as possible. “Wow, that’s weird. Anyway, here’s my CV.” He handed it over with a flourish, rubbing hastily at the grease stain he spotted in the corner. “I’m a hard worker, and I really, really love dinosaurs, and I’ve read all your books, and your wife’s…”

“Ex-wife,” Cutter interrupted and Connor drew up short. “Very well, Mr Temple, what’s say we give this a trial-run?” He wasn’t sure why, but there was something about Connor that seemed familiar. And after Helen had run off with one of her students, he needed to find someone else he could trust. “In fact, there’s a very interesting case I’ve just been asked to consult on by the Home Office. I could definitely do with another pair of hands.”

“That sounds great. What exactly…?”

Cutter grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and started to put it on. “I think it’ll be better if I show you.” He led Connor out of his room and steered him towards the car park. “I hope you like the outdoors,” Cutter was saying, “it’s in the Forest of Dean.”

Connor smiled, despite the fact that the outdoors would be the first item on his list of “things I absolutely hate” because for whatever reason, he really felt that he and Cutter had made a connection.

Of which he was determined to take full advantage.


End file.
